While other MediaPost newsletters and articles remain free to all ... our new Research Intelligencer service is reserved for paid subscribers ...

Subscribe today to gain access to the every Research Intelligencer article we publish as well as the exclusive daily newsletter, full access to The MediaPost Cases, first-look research and daily insights from Joe Mandese, Editor in Chief.

A-B's New Marketing: Web-Based Entertainment In 2007

Anheuser-Busch is the latest marketer to launch a Web-based entertainment platform disguised as a marketing vehicle. Bud.TV, scheduled to launch next February after the Super Bowl, will offer live and
on-demand programs from a range of outside content providers.

A-B says that content will include sporting events, celebrity interviews, music downloads and consumer-generated
content. Bud.TV could feature up to seven channels accessible from its portal, each dedicated to a specific genre.

Some content providers are already inked, including Wild West Picture Show
Productions, the outfit behind a Vince Vaughan documentary; Kevin Spacey's TriggerStreet.com, which is expected to provide short films from promising auteurs; and @radical.media, which produced
"Metallica: Some Kind of Monster." More providers are expected.

DDB Worldwide will manage and produce the Web network. Jim Schumacher, former vp-creative development, will head the new digital
marketing team overseeing Bud.TV. Schumacher reports to longtime marketing heavyweight Tony Ponturo, vice president-global media and sports marketing, on the project.

advertisement

advertisement

"We're always looking for
new opportunities to connect with adult consumers on a more personal level," said August Busch IV, A-B president, in a statement. "With adults spending more time online looking for entertainment to
fit their lifestyles, we believe Bud.TV will enable us to reach them in an engaging and fun way."

A-B has already hopped onto the branded entertainment train. Budweiser.com features much more
than information on Bud Light and Michelob. There is a vignette with Nascar's Dale Earnhardt, Jr., plus music and entertainment content.